Yamaha Rhino rollover warning

November 27th, 2008 Mike Evans

A Yamaha Rhino rollover can change a life forever.

It’s Thanksgiving day, and a lot of you will have Friday off, giving many people a long weekend. If you’re one of those people who enjoys riding ATVs or UTVs, we want to issue a special caution about riding Yamaha Rhinos. As we’ve said before, the Rhino has a high center-of-gravity and a narrow wheelbase, which makes it especially prone to rollover accidents, even on level ground. Yamaha was first-to-market with a side-by-side UTV, and acted  as if they were safe until August 23, 2007, when Yamaha finally issued a press release, saying: “some operators have engaged in aggressive driving (such as sliding, skidding, fishtailing, or doing donuts) or made abrupt maneuvers (such as turning the steering wheel too far or too fast) that have resulted in side rollovers — even on flat, open areas. Unfortunately, some occupants have been seriously injured during such rollovers when they put their arms or legs outside the vehicle, resulting in crushing or other injuries.” A month later (September 2007), Yamaha issued a new guide for owners of 2004-2007 Yamaha Rhinos which said: “Doing things with a Rhino that some people do for thrills in other vehicles (such as sideways sliding, skidding, fishtailing, or donuts) have led to side rollovers. These rollovers can result in crushed limbs and other serious injuries or death to drivers or passengers.” One wonders why it took Yamaha over 4 years to admit that Rhinos roll over easily and can crush hands, legs and cause death. We here at the ATV Attorney Alliance wonder why Yamaha hasn’t recalled the Rhino to remedy the problems that lead to rollovers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has launched an investigation into the Yamaha Rhino. This follows 30 deaths, including the deaths of two young girls last month. The Yamaha Rhino is also the subject of at least 200 lawsuits involving Rhino rollovers. The Journal reports that Yamaha has settled some lawsuits but recently beefed up its defense and says it may start to fight rather than settle. The Journal reports that there are currently no legal regulations governing side-by-side vehicles, such as the Yamaha Rhino. One possible outcome of the CPSC investigation is that safety regulations may be handed down by the CPSC.

The CPSC is dependent upon incident reports from consumers and manufacturers to investigate the safety of a product. If you or your family member have been injured or died in a Yamaha rollover, please fill out the CPSC’s Consumer Product Incident Report. For information about the safe use of ATVs, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ATVSafety.gov. Although the CPSC’s rules on ATVs do not cover side-by-side vehicles such as the Yamaha Rhino, the CPSC’s recommendation are a good place to start looking for advice on safe use of an off-the-road vehicle.

We at the ATV Attorney Alliance want to suggest that you avoid riding or allowing your children to ride a Yamaha Rhino. As we have done before, we call on Yamaha to recall the Rhino to remedy it’s dangerous stability problems.

You can watch a video explaining the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino at www.ATVAttorneyAlliance.com. You can read more about the dangers, and Yamaha’s delay in dealing with those dangers, at the ATV Alliance’s Yamaha Rhino page. learn more about the dangers and the history of the Yamaha Rhino at the American Attorney Alliance’s Yamaha Rhino page. If you have been injured lost a family member in a Yamaha rollover, you can fill out a form to obtain a free, no-obligation review of your potential Yamaha Rhino lawsuit, or you can call and speak with at attorney free-of-charge at 1-800-509-5357.

The ATV Attorney Alliance was created to provide top-quality legal representation to people who have been injured or lost family members in Yamaha Rhino rollover accidents, or in accidents involving other negligently designed or manufactured ATVs. The ATV Attorney Alliance includes lawyers licensed to practice law in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Posted in ATV accidents, ATV recalls, ATV safety information, Rollover accidents, Yamaha Rhino ATV, Yamaha Rhino accident, Yamaha Rhino attorney, Yamaha Rhino lawsuits, Yamaha Rhino lawyer, Yamaha Rhino recall, Yamaha Rhino rollover | No Comments »

Yamaha Rhino - Attorney explains Rhino rollover

October 24th, 2008 Mike Evans

Yamaha Rhino - Attorney Phillip Jauregui of the ATV Attorney Alliance explains in this video why the design of the Yamaha Rhino makes it prone to rollover accidents, which can cause serious injuries and deaths.

If you or a family member have been injured in a Yamaha Rhino rollover, or if you have questions about a Yamaha Rhino, attorney Phillip Jauregui will discuss your quesions without any charge or obligation on your part. Simply call 800-509-5357.

As we have done before, the ATV Attorney Alliance calls on Yamaha to recall Yamaha Rhinos to remedy the defective design that makes the Rhino prone to roll over during use.

The Yamaha Rhino Rollover page at the ATV Attorney Alliance has more information about the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino. The site also contains information about obtaining legal help from a Yamaha Rhino attorney. For information about ATV safety, please visit www.ATVSafety.gov. You can also use the following form to file a complaint with the CPSC about a Yamaha Rhino rollover.

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Yamaha Rhino rollover kills two Mississippi girls

October 22nd, 2008 Mike Evans

Yamaha Rhino rollover causes deaths of two 11-year-olds

Lewisburg, MS - The commercialappeal.com reports that two sixth-graders were killed when the Yamaha Rhino ATV upon which they were riding flipped as it went off the pavement last Saturday. Data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (”CPSC), a govenrment agency that monitors ATV safety, reported there were 80 ATV-related deaths in Mississippi for children under 16 from 1982-2002, an average of four per year. A total of 237 ATV deaths were reported from 1982-2006 in Mississippi.

Yamaha was first to market an ATV with side-by-side seats, so that two people could ride instead of one. (For this reason, the Yamaha Rhino is sometimes referred to as a side-by-side or UTV). These vehicles proved very popular, and other manufacturers later entered the market. Unfortunately, the Rhino was not as stable as some of its competitors. It has a narrow wheelbase and a high center-of-gravity that makes in prone to rollovers under circumstances that would not cause a rollover in some other vehicles. Making matters worse was the fact that the 2004-2007 model Yamaha Rhino side-by-side did not have doors, so there was nothing to keep a riders’ arms or legs inside the vehicle if the Rhino flipped over.

In 2007, Yamaha offered to install doors and handholds to try to keep passengers inside the 2004-2007 model Yamaha Rhinos when they rollover. Yamaha admitted in a guide on the Yamaha website that “Doing things with a Rhino that some people do for thrills in other vehicles (such as sideways sliding, skidding, fishtailing, or donuts) have led to side rollovers. These rollovers can result in crushed limbs and other serious injuries or death to drivers or passengers.”

Yamaha has failed to recall the Rhino to remedy the stability problems, and the number of Rhino victims continues to grow. Although riding an ATV or UTV can be a fun activitiy if drivers follow safety rules and ride a safe vehicle, the ATV Attorney Alliance again calls on Yamaha to recall the Rhino to remedy its dangerous instability that has injured and killed so many people.

The Yamaha Rhino Rollover page at the ATV Attorney Alliance has more information about the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino. If you or a family member have been injured in a Yamaha Rhino rollover, you can use a form on the Yamaha Rhino Rollover page to obtain a free evaluation of your potential lawsuit. For information about ATV and UTV safety, please visit www.ATVSafety.gov. You can also use the following form to file a complaint with the CPSC about a Yamaha Rhino rollover.

Posted in ATV accidents, ATV safety information, Rollover accidents, Yamaha Rhino ATV, Yamaha Rhino accident, Yamaha Rhino attorney, Yamaha Rhino lawyer, Yamaha Rhino recall, Yamaha Rhino rollover | No Comments »

Yamaha Rhino rollover kills 29-year-old man

October 6th, 2008 Mike Evans

The Edmonton Sun reports that a Yamaha Rhino flipped last Saturday, killiing its 29-year-old passenger.

The Yamaha Rhino has a narrow wheelbase and high center-of-gravity, making it very prone to roll over. Hundreds of Yamaha Rhino riders have been injured or killed since the unstable Rhino was first placed on the market.

For more information about the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino, visit the ATV Attorney Alliance’s Yamaha Rhino Rollover page. If you or someone in your family has suffered injuries or death due to a Yamaha Rhino rollover, you can use our free Yamaha Rhino lawsuit review service to obtain a no-obligation review of your potential lawsuit.

Posted in Rollover accidents, Yamaha Rhino ATV, Yamaha Rhino rollover | No Comments »

Yamaha Rhino v. 2009 Honda Big Red

September 18th, 2008 Mike Evans

Popular Mechanics took Honda’s new Big Red side-by-side ATV for a test drive recently, and their article about the test drive contained some interesting comments about the Yamaha Rhino. Popular Mechanics believes Honda officials have been slow to enter the competitive side-by-side market because of legal issues that have plagued the competition. From reading the article, it appears that Honda’s caution has led them to design a vehicle that is far safer than the Rhino. We at the ATV Attorney Alliance have argued that the narrow wheelbase and high center-of-gravity of the Rhino make it prone to unexpected rollover accidents, causing horrific crush injuries to arms, legs and heads. We’ve also pointed out the lack of doors on early model Rhino side-by-sides makes it more likely that a person’s extremeties will be outside the vehicle during a rollover in a Rhino with no doors. Honda’s Big Red was apparently designed to avoid these problems. Popular Mechanics writes: “We conquered sloping grades, descended steep hills using all three drive modes, and articulated over uneven terrain—mostly at crawl speeds. Thanks to its 64-in. width (which is almost 10 in. wider than the Yamaha Rhino) and its low center of gravity, Big Red felt surprisingly stable during low-speed, off-camber maneuvers. Its ability to keep all four wheels on the ground exceeded our willingness to push its limits. Passengers don’t have a steering wheel to grab onto. So they can gain confidence from the three-point seatbelts and handholds.”

While the ultimate test of the Big Red’s safety can’t be determined until the vehicles are sold to consumers and used in the field, it appears that Honda went to great lengths to get the stability issue handled properly. Good for them. We at the ATV Attorney Alliance don’t believe ATVs should be taken off the market; we just believe they shouldn’t be sold with design defects that can cause life-ending or life-changing injuries during normal, foreseeable use of the product.

The ATV Attorney Alliance, with lawyers in most states, offers a free online case review service. If you were injured or lost a family member in an ATV accident involving a defective ATV (particularly a Yamaha Rhino rollover), please use our Free Case Review form to get a no-obligation review of your potential right to recover money from the manufacturer of the ATV. Or call attorney Phillip Jauregui at 800-509-5357 at no charge to discuss your potential lawsuit.

Posted in ATV accidents, ATV safety information, Honda, Rollover accidents, Yamaha Rhino ATV, Yamaha Rhino rollover | No Comments »

Yamaha Rhino rollover seriously injures two California teens

September 4th, 2008 Mike Evans

Livermore, California - Two California teenagers were seriously injured in a Yamaha Rhino rollover Saturday afternoon, according to the Amador Ledger-Dispatch. The 17-year-old driver and his 17-year-old passenger were looking for an afternoon of fun when they went for a ride on a 2007 Yamaha Rhino. When the driver attempted to make a sharp turn, the Yamaha Rhino ATV rolled over on its side. The driver sustained major injuries to his neck and face and was flown to Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, CA. His passenger sustained trauma to her neck and right arm, and was flown to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, CA. Initial reports indicated that neither person was wearing a seat belt or helmet at the time of the accident.

The Yamaha Rhino ATV has a long history of causing serious injuries and deaths in rollover accidents. The Rhino has a narrow wheelbase and high center-of-gravity that makes it especially prone to rollover. In an online Rhino Guide Supplement, Yamaha has admitted that: “Doing things with a Rhino that some people do for thrills in other vehicles (such as sideways sliding, skidding, fishtailing, or donuts) have led to side rollovers. These rollovers can result in crushed limbs and other serious injuries or death to drivers or passengers.”

For more information about the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino, and its ability to crush limbs and cause deaths in rollover accidents, please visit our Yamaha Rhino rollover page.

Posted in ATV accidents, Rollover accidents, Yamaha Rhino ATV, Yamaha Rhino rollover | No Comments »